Smart money going to China
USX China Index Launched Today - Is the Only Index Devoted to Chinese-Focused Public Companies Traded on U.S. Stock Exchanges
Monday October 20, 6:00 am ET
DALLAS, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to growing interest among investors in publicly traded securities with operations in China, the USX China Index was launched today as the only index in the world devoted exclusively to Chinese-focused public companies traded on U.S. stock exchanges.
While the USX China Index will be available for newspapers and financial media worldwide, investors will also be able to access the index via the Internet at www.usxchinaindex.com starting today.
"The birth of an index devoted exclusively to Chinese-focused publicly held companies with their securities traded on U.S. stock exchanges was long overdue," said Tim Halter, managing director of the USX China Index. "It's appropriate that we launched the index earlier today in Shanghai, China, at a news conference. The response there has been very enthusiastic. There is a need and demand from investors for this unique index. We anticipate a positive response throughout Asia, North America and elsewhere."
He noted that China has the fastest-growing economy in the world. In 2002, China surpassed the U.S. as the largest recipient of direct foreign investment, an indicator that "smart money" is rushing into China. "In contrast to the gloomy mood in the U.S. the past few years, in China I see people with a twinkle in their eye as their country experiences an economic boom of historic proportions," Halter said.
Nowhere is this more dramatically reflected than in the results of the USX China Index for the past 52 weeks. For this period, the USX China Index was up 136% compared to Nasdaq and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which were up only 52% and 22% respectively for the same period.
"The stocks in the USX China Index offer investors the opportunity to invest in China with the safety of the U.S.-regulated securities markets," Halter explained. "All of the companies in the index are public reporting companies that have their stocks traded on U.S. exchanges which are governed by the Securities and Exchange Commission."
Initially, 22 public companies will be represented in the USX China Index. To be included in the USX China Index, companies must meet the following criteria:
* Their primary business is conducted in China.
* Their common stock is traded on U.S. exchanges
* Each company's market capitalization is more than $50 million
* The company is approved by the USX China Index selection committee
which considers additional factors such as trading volume, public
interest and shares available to the investing public.
The following 22 public companies comprise the inaugural USX China Index:
Aluminum Corp. of China Ltd. (NYSE: ACH - News)
AsianInfo Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: ASIA - News)
ASAT Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq: ASTT - News)
Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: CBA - News)
Sinopec Beijing Yanhua Petrochemical Co. Ltd. (NYSE: BYH - News)
China Eastern Airlines Corporation Ltd. (NYSE: CEA - News)
China National Offshore Oil Corp. (NYSE: CEO - News)
Chindex International, Inc. (Nasdaq: CHDX - News)
Chinadotcom Corporation (Nasdaq: CHINA - News)
China Mobile Hong Kong Ltd. (NYSE: CHL - News)
China Unicom (NYSE: CHU - News)
China Yuchai International Ltd. (NYSE: CYD - News)
Huaneng Power International, Inc. (NYSE: HNP - News)
Jilin Chemical Industrial Co. Ltd. (NYSE: JCC - News)
Netease.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTES - News)
PetroChina Co. Ltd. (NYSE: PTR - News)
Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemcial Co. Ltd. (NYSE: SHI - News)
Sina Corporation (Nasdaq: SINA - News)
Sohu.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: SOHU - News)
Qiao Xing Universal Telephone, Inc. (Nasdaq: XING - News)
Yanzhou Coal Mining Co. Ltd. (NYSE: YZC - News)
China Southern Airlines Company Ltd. (NYSE: ZNH - News)
These companies represent a wide range of industries, from energy and high tech to diversified services and transportation. In addition to benefiting from the booming economy in China, investors are also aware that China's currency, the yuan, is artificially undervalued. Experts predict at some point in the near future, China will allow its currency to float, which would translate into a sizeable increase in profits as the currency is revalued in world markets
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